Overview

The story of the political and military activities of SOE, especially its relationship with British policy-makers, the Foreign Office and the military high command. It also analyzes SOE's relationship with the Yugoslav guerrilla movements, the exiled Yugoslav government, other secret organizations and its US counterpart, and examines how rivalries among all these players influenced SOE activity in Yugoslavia. Did SOE's involvement with the Yugoslav resistance contribute appreciably to the war against the Axis powers? By supporting first the royalist resistance and, when it proved unsatisfactory, switching to the communist-led Partisans, the British expected to gain military advantage from increased guerrilla activity. Because this was primarily designed to allay potential political conflict with Britain's Soviet ally, rather than benefit Yugoslavia itself, the long-term aims of the resistance movements were not taken into account. Thus the work contends that SOE's involvement in Yugoslavia merely exacerbated the civil war.

Full Product Details

Author:   Heather Williams
Publisher:   C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Imprint:   C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Edition:   illustrated edition
ISBN:  

9781850655923

ISBN 10:   1850655928
Pages:   300
Publication Date:   08 January 2004
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable  
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Table of Contents

Contents: Swashbucklers and Secret Agents - Experiments in Sabotage and Subversion: 'Doing Something' in the Balkans - Return to Occupied Yugoslavia - Backing Mihailovic: One SOE Officer and No Supplies - Propaganda Wars - Yugoslavia, From Side Show to Centre Stage - Contacting the Partisans - Backing both Sides: The Period of Equal Support - Ditching Mihailovic: or Throwing Out the Baby with the Bathwater - Backing the Partisans: From Illusion to Reality.

Reviews

'Williams's book represents the most comprehensivegeneral analysis of SOE's activities as they relate to wartime Yugoslavia.' -Dr Simon Trew, RMA, Sandhurst

Author Information

Heather Williams teaches modern history at the University of Southampton.

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